Rodgers: Suarez going nowhere

07 August 2013 01:02

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers maintains they have no intention of selling Luis Suarez to Arsenal, despite the striker stepping up his campaign to force a move.

After weeks of speculation over the 26-year-old's intentions, which began earlier in the summer when he publicly admitted he could not turn down an approach from Real Madrid, the Uruguay international has threatened to submit a transfer request by the end of the week.

He believes the club have reneged on an agreement to allow him to join a Champions League club after rejecting two bids from Arsenal, the second amounting to Â£40,000,001 in an attempt to activate a clause they believed - apparently mistakenly - would force the Reds to sell.

However, Rodgers appears to have no intention of letting Suarez join the Gunners, although he has admitted every player does have a market value.

"We have no intention of selling one of the top players in the world to one of our rivals," said the Northern Irishman. "The message is very clear: Luis Suarez is very much a Liverpool player."

Rodgers, speaking just hours before Suarez gave an interview complaining of broken promises by the Merseysiders, added: "We've obviously had a couple of bids from one club that has been nowhere near the valuation.

"I repeat - nowhere near the valuation of what he is worth in this market. There's no change to that. It's the same with any of our players - we're very much a team that's trying to build and go forward. For that, we want to keep our best players.

"There's not even really a discussion point, unless someone comes within anywhere near the valuation of Luis. At this present time, that's not the case."

Suarez is adamant he should be allowed to leave.

"Last year I had the opportunity to move to a big European club and I stayed on the understanding that if we failed to qualify for the Champions League the following season I'd be allowed to go," he told the Daily Telegraph and Guardian.